Protecting integrated circuits from excessive charge accumulation during plasma cleaning of multichip modules
| DWPI Title: Method of assembling circuit module e.g. multi-chip integrated circuit module, involves wire bonding remainder of multiple bond pads to further bond pads on substrate |
| Abstract: Internal nodes of a constituent integrated circuit (IC) package of a multichip module (MCM) are protected from excessive charge during plasma cleaning of the MCM. The protected nodes are coupled to an internal common node of the IC package by respectively associated discharge paths. The common node is connected to a bond pad of the IC package. During MCM assembly, and before plasma cleaning, this bond pad receives a wire bond to a ground bond pad on the MCM substrate. |
| Use: Method of assembling circuit module such as multi-chip integrated circuit module. |
| Advantage: The destructive potential of plasma cleaning is eliminated through a combination of electrical design and micro-assembly procedures. The reverse wire bond for the safety wire protects the integrated circuit from damage due to any undesired electrostatic change on the wire bonding tool, since any such charge is shorted to the multi-chip module (MCM) ground before contact with the integrated circuit bond pad. The reverse wire bond for the safety wire permits any undesired electrostatic charge on the integrated circuit package to be discharged through the bond wire to MCM ground instead of through the wire bonding tool, so that a shorter discharge path is provided. The safety wire bond between the safety bond pad and MCM ground protects against undesired electrostatic charge during the wire bonding process. The method provides the protected nodes of the integrated circuit with redundant protection against excessive charge throughout the mission deployment of the integrated circuit. |
| Novelty: The method involves mounting (41) on a substrate an integrated circuit package that includes multiple bond pads. The bond pad is wire bonded (42) to a first bond pad on the substrate. The plasma cleaning is applied (43) to the substrate having the integrated circuit package. A remainder of the multiple bond pads is wire bonded (44) to further bond pads on the substrate. The mounting, applying and each wire bonding are all performed with respect to multiple integrated circuit packages to assemble a multi-chip module. |
| Filed: 7/18/2013 |
| Application Number: US13945074A |
| Tech ID: SD 12105.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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